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Doing the Duffey!
“On a journey ignored by most ...
99 North carries on to a world beyond Whistler”
By Jamie Ross
On a beautiful Sunday morning in Spring, we pull into the
Pony Espresso, a funky little roadside shanty on the outskirts of Pemberton,
to pick up a couple of cafés au lait for the road. (We had heard that it
was a good idea to stay awake while driving the Duffey!) As I squeeze my
car into the crowded lot, full of subdued coffee drinkers attempting to
recover from their Saturday night revels, we are surprised to hear the
clip-clop of horse hooves over blacktop. Four riders dismount, and loop
their reins around a shop-side hitching rail. A burly, mustachioed cowboy
clumps across the wooden floorboards with spurs jingling, and moseys up to
the coffee bar. I lend an ear, expecting, at best, a bottle
of whiskey to be plopped down for a toonie, or, at worst, the demand for
four boiled cowboy coffees, extra grounds. Instead, in a practised drawl,
he orders four double decaf, skim with no foam, lattés - to go. I should
not have been surprised, for this morning we were leaving Whistler, a place
on the cusp of the city and the country; a pleasing blend of extravagance
and wilderness. Where else can you ski in the morning, golf in the
mid-afternoon, rejuvenate yourself with a spa treatment, and then head out
on the town?
 But
today’s mission is to journey beyond this bustling resort town, to discover
the grass beyond the mountains, to carve our way through the rugged Coast
Mountains on the Duffey Lake Road to a new world beyond. The Duffey is a
delightful drive for cars, trucks, motorhomes and motorcycles; all with
three things in common - good brakes, a full tank of gas, and time; time to
avoid the drops and the time to enjoy the magnificent scenery.
The popular Pemberton cappuccino hangout was not the first stop of our
drive. We enjoyed some early morning exercise with a pleasant stroll along
the banks of the Green River to Nairn Falls, where the river’s turbulent
waters plummet 60 metres into a rugged gorge. The trailhead is at Nairn
Falls Provincial Park, an 88-site campground 29 kilometres from Whistler.
There would be three other stops before we would reach the Duffey proper.
We pay a quick visit to the Adventure Ranch just east of Pemberton, which
offers rafting, horseback riding and jet boat tours, then Sturdy’s North Arm
Farm, six kilometres east of the town. While the kids check out the scruffy
farm animals behind page-wire fences, my wife and I go in to view the fare.
Pemberton is proud to call itself “the disease-free capital of the world for
seed potatoes.” I’m not sure how impressed I am, but I did pick up a box of
potatoes, along with a delicious pie or two. Finally, we pause in Mount
Currie, the base of the busy Mount Currie Reserve, the Lil’wat group of the
St’at’imc Nation. I have been told The Spirit Circle Art, Craft and Tea
Company is worth a visit, a traditional restaurant and sculpture gallery.
The Duffey Lake Road officially begins about nine kilometres past Mt.
Currie, where it climbs above the northwest shore of Lillooet and the
Birkenhead River. Until recently, this dramatic 84.5 km route through the
Cayoosh Mountains of the Coast Range was strictly 4x4 fare. This was a
logging road and not a tourist route, until $22.5 million in improvements
had pavement laid all the way from Pemberton to Lillooet. My
children are cursed with the genes of a father who used to get nauseous on a
carnival merry-go-round, so a trip like the Duffey is spent checking facial
hues and taking advantage of fresh-air, roadside stops. As you reach the
top of your meandering climb, Joffre Lakes Provincial Park allows for a nice
pull-out, complete with toilets and hiking trails. In summer, a short path
connects with the first of three beautiful, turquoise lakes. The path is
still snowbound in early June. There are also several
picturesque pull-outs along the shores of Duffey Lake. We stopped to view
several mule deer grazing by the roadside. During a winter trip a couple
years previous, we had pulled over to watch a long-legged timber wolf
trotting purposefully along the frozen lakeshore.
 Beyond
Duffey Lake, the road criss-crosses Cayoosh Creek, and follows the pretty
river down towards Lillooet. This is perhaps the most magnificent part of
the drive, hugging the rugged rock walls, small waterfalls weeping from the
stone face, and the canyon dropping off far below. I leave the views to my
passengers; with 13 per cent grades, one lane bridges, frequent rocks
scattered on the asphalt, and no room for error as you navigate snaking
switchbacks down towards Seton Lake, it is best to keep your eyes on the
road.
 To
give the brakes a breather and sate our growling stomachs, I wheel the car
into the BC Hydro Seton Lake Reservoir Recreational Site, some 80 kilometres
from the start of the Duffey and only 5 kilometres west of Lillooet. Seton
Lake is murky green, glacial till is stirred up by the current from the
hydro plant. There is a grassy lakeshore picnic site, with a spectacular
view of the mountains dropping steeply into the beautiful lake. As we enjoy
our lunch, the children see the Cariboo Prospector passenger train winding
its way along the north shore; dwarfed by a massive rock face, it looks like
part of a miniature train set. After lunch, we continue on to
Lillooet, where the clean, blue waters of Cayoosh Creek swirl into the muddy
Fraser River. I tell the kids to keep their eyes open for camels, but they
pay me no heed. Built in 1981, the “Bridge of The 23 Camels” crosses the
Fraser River at Lillooet. It is named for the two-humped Bactrian Camels
brought in as freight haulers during the 1860's Cariboo gold rush. After
two years use, this Dromedary Express had been abandoned - the stubborn
beasts apparently failed to fit in socially, or so the story goes. I read
recently that these innocuous creatures were back, putting on a touristy
face in hot spots along the old Gold Rush Trail. And, according to new
evidence, it was the innocent camels who were willing and the guileless
cowboys turned camel-jockeys who were not. At the east end of
the bridge, you can turn right for a 63 kilometre drive to Lytton and the
Trans Canada south, or turn left into Cariboo Country. The latter is our
destination, and it is a beautiful drive north along the east side of the
Fraser Canyon; the meandering ribbon of water can be seen far below. The
terrain is different and spectacular. Ponderosa pine, sagebrush and bunch
grass grows in what is essentially a semi-arid desert, caught in the shadow
of the Coast Mountains. Hoodoos, spires, and plateaus of contrasting
benchlands stretch away from the canyon walls. Big Horn sheep graze the
barren hillsides. Just past Pavilion Lake, I see the turnoff
for the Pavilion Road, a 31 kilometre winding, gravel shortcut to Clinton,
over 2,089 metre Pavilion Mountain. I crook an eyebrow and throw my wife a
hopeful grin - but her return scowl keeps me on course, pavement bound
through Marble Canyon to Hat Creek Ranch. Historic Hat Creek
Ranch sits at the junction of Highways 99 and 97, 11 km north of Cache
Creek. Once a roadhouse and stopping place for the BX Stage coach, the
ranch is now a BC Heritage Site, offering guided tours to the blacksmith and
saddle maker, and trail and wagon rides. Once again we turn
left and head north on Highway 97, 27 kilometres to the small town of
Clinton. 47 Mile House, a hewn log building built without nails, was opened
in 1861 at the junction of the original Gold Rush Trail and the Cariboo
Waggon Road from Yale. Now called Clinton, the town is a delightful blend
of history and horses. Among its restored buildings is the Clinton Museum.
Constructed as a schoolhouse in 1892 before serving as Judge Begbie’s
courthouse, the museum features Chinese and Native displays. The children
have more interest in the ice cream shop. Just north of
Clinton, we take a brief detour on the Chasm Road, a short loop east of
Highway 97, to a picnic site featuring an ancient bedrock box canyon that is
1.5 kilometres long and 120 metres deep. With the kids in the “how much
farther?” mode, we continue on to 100 Mile House, a small town set amidst
rolling, forested hills. The town was once a stagecoach stop and roadhouse
on the Gold Rush Trail, 100 Miles from Lillooet. For us it is our
destination, some 315 kilometres beyond Whistler. Where to
stay ...
In Whistler/Pemberton: The Westin
Resort & Spa, (888) 634-5577 -
www.westinwhistler.com
The Rainbow Valley Inn, (604) 894-3300 -
www.rainbowvalleyinn.com
In the South Cariboo: The Best
Western 108 Resort, (800) 667-5233 -
www.108resort.com
Cariboo Log Guest House, (250) 396-4747 -
www.caribooguesthouse.com
The Hills Health Ranch, (250) 791-5225 -
www.spabc.com
Montana Hill Guest Ranch, (250) 593-4255 -
www.montanahillguestranch.bc.ca
The Schmid-Meil Bed and Breakfast, (250) 791-5644 -
www.schmid-meil.com
The Wolf Den Country Inn, (877) 397-2108 -
www.dogsled-canada.com
For more information ... on the Duffey Lake Route from
Whistler to the South Cariboo, contact the South Cariboo Visitor Information
Centre, 1-877- 511-5353, the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association,
250-392-2226 or Tourism Whistler, 604-938-2795. Photographs
by Jamie Ross
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